---
title: 'Maintenance Technician (R&D) at Vulcan Elements'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/maintenance-technician-r-d-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-vmbqxjwqqd14'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-01'
---

# Maintenance Technician (R&D) at Vulcan Elements

- **Company:** Vulcan Elements
- **Location:** Research Triangle Park, NC
- **Posted:** 2026-10-28
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-01
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vulcanelements/jobs/5461489008

## Job description

Vulcan Elements is manufacturing American rare-earth permanent magnets for a secure future. With a focus on national security and economic resiliency, we serve critical industries such as defense, aerospace, and automotive powering a high-technology future. Vulcan Elements is building a team of ambitious professionals committed to Mission Focus, Technical Excellence and Integrity.

As the Maintenance Technician, you will report to the Pilot Operations Manager and will work onsite in our R&D Pilot Plant. You will be responsible for preforming preventative, corrective and other maintenance tasks on the industrial and laboratory equipment.

## Responsibilities

- Perform preventative and corrective maintenance actions on a variety of industrial and laboratory equipment
- Document, schedule, and create work orders using a CMMS platform
- Create and follow safe SOPs, Work instructions, and Lock-Out-Tag-Out procedures
- Work with technicians, operators, and engineers to document critical failure points and establish preventative solutions

Responsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the business

## Qualifications

- 3+ years of experience performing maintenance operations in an industrial environment
- High school diploma or equivalent (required)
- Experience with various hand and power tools
- Experience troubleshooting electrical and mechanical systems
- Must be able to maintain and document maintenance actions through a CMMS platform

Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

Physical and Environmental Requirements

The position requires regular presence in the production environment and the ability to navigate all areas of the facility. Candidates must be able to climb stairs, stand and walk for extended periods, and work in environments that may be hot, humid or noisy.

The role may involve exposure to cut hazards and other physical risks associated with equipment, tools and manufacturing processes. Employees must be able to recognize and avoid sharp edges, moving parts and other potential sources of injury. Able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs and perform physically demanding work in an industrial environment.

This position also requires the use of personal protective equipment, including respirators, and adherence to all applicable safety policies, procedures and regulatory requirements. Employees must complete required fit testing, wear appropriate PPE for the duration of assigned tasks and respond safely to changing conditions within the production environment.

## About Vulcan Elements

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Vulcan Elements manufactures American rare-earth permanent magnets to build a resilient, Western supply chain for critical industries including defense, aerospace, automotive, and AI datacenters.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed + Series A + Debt financing)
- **Headquarters**: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (primary R&D operations also in Research Triangle Park, NC)
- **Founded**: 2023
- **Founders**: John Maslin (CEO) and Dr. Piotr Kulik (CTO)

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Advanced manufacturing of rare earth permanent magnets (neodymium).
- Target customers: B2B and government/defense – enterprise customers in defense, aerospace, automotive, industrial, consumer electronics, AI datacenters, semiconductor fabrication.
- Mission: "Improving U.S. and allied security by producing the Rare Earth Magnets that are critical to economic and national security." – [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/)

## Products & Services
- **Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (Neodymium)**: High-performance sintered and bonded magnets used in motors, generators, sensors, and actuators. Application areas include defense systems, satellites, AI datacenters, semiconductor fabrication, consumer electronics, industrial motors, power tools, and non-drive train motors. – [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/)
- **R&D and Process Optimization**: Developing next-generation magnetic technologies and advanced manufacturing processes focused on efficiency, cost competitiveness, and supply chain transparency. – [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed.
- **Total Funding**: $690.2 million (as of November 2025) across three rounds:
  - Seed Round (Dec 2023): $5.2M – 3 investors.
  - Series A (Sep 2025): $65M – led by Washington Harbour Partners and Altimeter.
  - Debt Financing (Nov 2025): $620M – led by the Department of Defense’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC). – [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/vulcan-elements) / [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/vulcan-elements)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding $690.2M; production output of 10 metric tons in 2025.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Department of Defense’s Office of Strategic Capital, Washington Harbour Partners, Altimeter.
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Announced a $1.4 billion partnership with the United States government.
  - Selected Benson, North Carolina, for a 1.1 million sq ft facility – the largest magnet manufacturing plant outside China.
  - Employee headcount of 38 (+200% YoY) as of mid-2026.
  - Rapidly scaling pilot operations; 37 open job listings on Greenhouse. – [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/) / [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/vulcan-elements) / [greenhouse.io](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vulcanelements)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Domestic Supply Chain**: The only U.S. company vertically integrating rare earth magnet production, reducing reliance on Chinese supply.
- **Technical Expertise**: Co-founder Dr. Piotr Kulik is one of four rare earth magnet science professors in the U.S. and opened the first academic rare earth magnetics lab in the country in over 20 years.
- **Government Backing**: Strong ties to U.S. national security agencies and over a billion dollars in government-funded partnerships.
- **Process Innovation**: Proprietary process optimization methods aimed at cost competitiveness without sacrificing performance.
- **National Security Focus**: All operations require U.S. Person status, aligning with defense and aerospace customer needs.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale Production**: Transition from pilot-scale (10 metric tons/year) to mass production at the Benson, NC facility to meet surging demand from defense, AI, and automotive sectors.
- **Supply Chain Resilience**: Partnering exclusively with U.S. and allied-country suppliers (UK, Australia, Japan).
- **R&D**: Developing next-generation magnetic materials and advanced manufacturing processes.
- **Talent Acquisition**: Actively hiring engineers, scientists, operations, and business development talent to support rapid growth. – [greenhouse.io](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vulcanelements)

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-Driven Culture**: Employees contribute directly to national security and economic resilience, with values of Mission Focus, Technical Excellence, and Transparency. – [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/careers/)
- **Benefits**: Competitive equity, unlimited PTO, 90% health insurance (100% for employee), 99% dental and vision, 401K, fully stocked kitchen. – [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/careers/)
- **Work Environment**: Fast-paced startup with a "startup manufacturer" ethos; roles are largely on-site in Research Triangle Park, NC or Benson, NC. Internship opportunities available with mentorship and real impact on critical projects.
- **Growth Opportunity**: Extremely high headcount growth (+200% YoY) and large-scale facility expansion offer rapid career advancement.
- **U.S. Person Requirement**: Many positions require U.S. Person status due to government contracts.

## Sources
1. [vulcanelements.com](https://vulcanelements.com/)
2. [vulcanelements.com/careers](https://vulcanelements.com/careers/)
3. [greenhouse.io (Vulcan Elements jobs)](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/vulcanelements)
4. [linkedin.com/company/vulcan-elements](https://www.linkedin.com/company/vulcan-elements)
5. [cbinsights.com/company/vulcan-elements](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/vulcan-elements)

## Other roles at Vulcan Elements

- [Security & Emergency Services Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/security-emergency-services-manager-vulcan-elements-benson-kqjnfejc4mtg) — Benson, NC
- [Senior Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-design-engineer-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-7d4bmba9bfcw) — Research Triangle Park, NC
- [Safety Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/safety-specialist-vulcan-elements-benson-289d9hnqpkyt) — Benson, NC
- [Staff Production Control Engineering Analyst](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-production-control-engineering-analyst-vulcan-elements-benson-ar3f3045a3cb) — Benson, NC
- [Business Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/business-systems-engineer-vulcan-elements-benson-206rjt2thmg0) — Benson, NC
- [Materials Characterization Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/materials-characterization-engineer-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-kxxg1teeyjgm) — Research Triangle Park, NC
- [Manufacturing Instructor](https://feeny.ai/job/manufacturing-instructor-vulcan-elements-benson-7wex3veqf7b5) — Benson, NC
- [Laboratory Technician – Materials Characterization](https://feeny.ai/job/laboratory-technician-materials-characterization-vulcan-elements-research-dyjdvhdanh07) — Research Triangle Park, NC
- [Safety Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/safety-manager-vulcan-elements-research-triangle-park-pt78qasw38w5) — Research Triangle Park, NC
- [Maintenance Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/maintenance-manager-vulcan-elements-benson-16xbaat3zj0e) — Benson, NC